What is a Hoarder?

Ever worried if you’re a hoarder?

According to the Mayo Clinic staff, hoarding is defined as – “The excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them. Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Some people also collect animals, keeping dozens or hundreds of pets often in unsanitary conditions.”

Have you ever watched the TV show, “Hoarders” or “Hoarders, Buried Alive,” and thought to yourself, “That could be me”? Maybe you’re overwhelmed looking at your own piles of stuff, wanting to keep everything just the way it is, yet knowing deep down that you can’t continue living your life this way. The term “hoarder” has such a negative connotation, that people are often paralyzed at the thought of letting anyone in to see the state of their home.

 

However, there is another classification for people who like to hold onto their stuff, it’s called chronically disorganized.  You’ve tried to get organized before, and it worked for a little while, but slowly things just went back to the way they were. And then there are my favorites,  “pack rat”, or “collector”.

 

If one of the labels above rings true for you, what can you do to make a change? Whatever you call it, compulsive hoarding, chronic disorganization or collecting, they all have the same effect on you and your life. Organizing your hoarded home and improving your hoarding lifestyle are big steps and when you’re really ready, you’ll need to ask for help.  When you reach out and surround yourself with a caring and compassionate support system, you’re headed toward the change you desire.

There may have been a significant event in your life that started you down the road to hoarding, or it could have been that you recognized early on that organizing was a challenge for you. It may have started with one messy room, and before you knew it, your home was completely full of stuff and out of control. A kind friend or even a hoarding TV show may have helped you realize the truth of how you’re living.  Now you want to change your life.

Some people don’t believe that it’s possible to go into a cluttered room, and with the help of a Professional Organizer, have it completely organized in a couple of hours. Or even the ability to have an organizer get an entire house done in a matter of days. Yet it is true. When a person is truly ready to commit to a new start, and is ready to make some tough decisions, huge strides can be made each day. You can go from a home that is overwhelmingly cluttered, to one that is organized and comfortable. It can happen, and when it does, you feel so empowered to have gained control over your stuff instead of your stuff having control over you.

Just close your eyes and picture a different environment for yourself and your family – from a hoarded/cluttered home to a more livable, more organized home. Envision the improved quality time you will have to spend with your family or friends. Allow yourself to conceive of no more anxiety about inviting friends over. If all of this sounds like something you’re ready to experience, you can change your environment and your habits, and live a changed life! But just imagining a different future is only one step toward organization.

The next step is to enlist help. A Professional Organizer can help you see what needs to be done and help you develop a reasonable organizing plan. Working beside you, a trained organizer can ease your anxiety and help you take action as you dig out from the clutter.

You may be surprised that just asking for help, even if it’s just from family and friends, begins an amazing process of change!